DATE: Monday, June 23, 1997                 TAG: 9706230052

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: Correspondent Jane Harper researched and wrote this report. 

                                            LENGTH:   42 lines

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO. . . WOULD-BE POLITICIAN MARK BAILEY

Mark Bailey was a political unknown when he challenged state Sen. Clarence A. Holland in 1991. After a narrow loss, the Virginia Beach businessman jumped into the 1992 race for Virginia Beach mayor. He lost in a landslide, despite backing from the business community and having outspent incumbent Meyera E. Oberndorf 3-to-1. So, has he had enough?

Mark Bailey isn't through with politics yet. He plans to run for office again - just not any time soon.

``After running back-to-back campaigns, I promised the wife I'd take a break,'' Bailey said with a laugh recently. ``If I ran again now, my wife would divorce me.''

The races took their toll. Bailey lost 42 pounds and was exhausted in the end. He says he also had to put up about $35,000 of his own money after some contributors failed to turn over the donations they had promised.

Since then, Bailey has been focusing his time and energy on his family's trucking business, Bay West Transport in Chesapeake.

He said he will consider another run for office in two to four years when he probably will run for a seat in the state Senate or House.

``Local politics is tough,'' he said. ``It's technically volunteerism with a very small paycheck.''

Bailey said he probably would look for a race in which he feels the incumbent has not been living up to his promises and is not working as effectively as he should, which is why, he said, he ran against Holland and Oberndorf.

And he's actually looking forward to campaigning again.

``I love it. Politics is fun. It's a lot of hard work, sure, and there are long hours - but it's a blast.''

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